William's Arts / Crafts Business Blog January 2008 Archive

Finding Good Suppliers
These days, fuel costs and the rising costs of attending shows can really hurt your bottom line. Anything you can do to help cut operating expenses will help increase profits. Finding ... Read More

Sunday January 27, 2008 | permalink | comments (0)

Multiple Shows Per Weekend
Lots of shows have a rule that requires the original crafter or artist to attend the event. Is that general rule fair or could it prevent some crafters form attending more ... Read More

Sunday January 27, 2008 | permalink | comments (2)

Online "Malls"
Should you invest in selling through online malls or should you sell though your own website? The simple answer is to try both. An online mall, especially ones that have developed ... Read More

Sunday January 27, 2008 | permalink | comments (1)

2008 Buyers Market of American Craft
If you are a wholesaler of crafts, you will likely be attending this event. However, even if you are just considering the wholesale experience, this would be a good event ... Read More

Tuesday January 22, 2008 | permalink | comments (1)

The Hidden Competition
If you think that crafter selling similar items is your one and only competitor for dollars at shows, think again! You are also competing with admission fees, parking fees and ... Read More

Sunday January 20, 2008 | permalink | comments (0)

Updating Your Website
If you do not update your site on a regular basis you could not only lose repeat customers, but you could also hurt your sites rankings in search engines. Remember that ... Read More

Sunday January 20, 2008 | permalink | comments (1)

Consignment for Beginners
Consignment sales offer a good outlet for selling your crafts. When you sell through consignment, location is everything. Make sure the stores you choose have high foot traffic. And make sure ... Read More

Sunday January 20, 2008 | permalink | comments (0)

Offline Marketing for your Online Venture
One of the most effective ways to market your website is to tell your existing customers about it. Print your address on all of your literature from business cards to ... Read More

Sunday January 13, 2008 | permalink | comments (1)

Best Shows for Clothing
A good discussion about selling clothing at shows is going on in the forum. Remember that it is important to match the show with your product. In other words, if ... Read More

Sunday January 13, 2008 | permalink | comments (0)

Being a Good Neighbor
It's important to help out your fellow crafters when you can. One of the simplest ways to be a good neighbor at shows is to simply follow the rules. Stay ... Read More

Sunday January 13, 2008 | permalink | comments (1)

Tax Chores
The end of the years brings upon our poor souls with small businesses the burden of taxes. My advice? Hire a CPA. Of course you will need good records and a ... Read More

Sunday January 6, 2008 | permalink | comments (0)

What Are You Changing in 2008?
Remember that change always happens. Planning is the best strategy to deal with new challenges. Trying out new shows, taking on more marketing avenues and creating a new product line ... Read More

Sunday January 6, 2008 | permalink | comments (1)

Backing Up Your Data
One of my new year chores is to sort through my old data on the computer and remove unneeded information. At the end of that process, I will, of course back ... Read More

Sunday January 6, 2008 | permalink | comments (0)